Personality traits, sex, and sexual orientation predict academic choices

• Ano de defesa: 2023
• Autor(a) principal: Ollhoff C. K.; Ollhoff, Christian Kenji
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Academic choices; Dichotomous thinking; Escolhas acadêmicas; Evolutionary psychology; Pensamento dicotômico; Personalidade; Personality; Psicologia evolucionista
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47132/tde-07122023-165240/

Human personality is associated with vocational interests and the choice of an undergraduate major. Personality traits means can also differ among majors, sex, and sexual orientations. The main aim of the study is to predict academic choices, based on personality traits, dichotomous thinking, sex, and sexual orientation. A total of 687 undergraduate Brazilian students were recruited through online media and answered a battery of questionnaires in the online Qualtrics platform and divided into three main scientific areas (Social: N = 299, Biological: N = 248, Exact Sciences: N = 132). Six personality traits were measured by the HEXACO-60 scale, dichotomous thinking by the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI), and the 7-point Kinsey scale was used to assess sexual orientation. Two models were run, one with a calculated DTI general (g) factor and a regular total sum score. Results show a positive marginal effect of Openness on Social Sciences and negative effect on Biological Sciences (y/ x = 0.15 and -0.16, respectively). In Social Sciences, we found an interaction between Conscientiousness and heterosexuality (y/ x = 0.21), and Extraversion and being male (y/ x = 0.34) while in Biological Sciences, interactions between being a homosexual male and Agreeableness had a negative effect (y/ x = -0.60) and an interaction with Extraversion (y/ x = 0.83). The DTI g factor score showed to be a negative predictor for the Biological Sciences (y/ x = -0.04). The DTI sum score was a positive predictor for the Social Sciences (y/ x = 0.004) and negative for the Biological Sciences (y/ x = -0.005). No significant effects were found in the Exact Sciences. Personality traits have an adaptive value and in modern times when combined with an individuals sex and sexual orientation, could serve as predictors for academic major choice, in addition to traits alone, as previous studies have shown.